Device for driving winding bobbins in automatic cross winders



Nov. 6, 1962 w. SCHWEITER 3,062,462

DEVICE FOR DRIVING WINDING BOBBINS IN AUTOMATIC CROSS WINDERS Filed May 11, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I

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BY j 4W.

A RNEY Nov. 6, 1962 w. SCHWEITER 3,052,462

DEVICE FOR DRIVING WINDING BOBBINS IN AUTOMATIC CROSS WINDERS Filed May 11, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATToRNEY Nov. 6, .1962 w. SCHWEITER DEVICE FOR DRIVING WINDING BOBBINS IN AUTOMATIC CROSS WINDERS Filed May 11, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 a W H 15 MW M T 0 N c W W A ma u A WW 1 8 m United States Patent Ofifice 3,062,462 Patented Nov. 6, 1&52

3,062,462 DEVICE FOR DRIVING WINDING ROBBINS IN AUTOMATIC CROSS WENDERS Walter Schweitzer, Horgen, Switzerland, assignor to Masciiinenfabriir Schweiter AG, Horgen, Switzerland, a company of Switzerland Filed May 11, 1960, Ser. No. 28,428 Claims priority, application Switzerland May 15, 1959 20 Qiairns. (Cl. 242-355) The present invention relates generally to a controlled drive adapted for use with an associated textile machine and, more particularly, to a novel device for driving the winding bobbins of a group of winding units in an automatic cross-Winder wherein the winding units are arranged on a rotary table which is successively indexed through one Winding unit at a time.

In automatic cross-winders having several cops for supplying thread, each winding bobbin is stopped when the thread breaks or is exhausted. The broken thread end of the winding bobbin is picked up by means of an air indraft applied through a suitable suction nozzle while the bobbin is rotated in a reverse direction. The thread end is then supplied to a knotting device which connects it with the thread end of the cop or wind-01f bobbin. To this end, automatic winders are commonly provided with two driving motors, one of which drives the Winding bobbin While the other actuates a control shaft which regulates the working cycle of the machine.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a rotatable table supporting a plurality of winding units thereon, a main driving unit is opera-tively associated with said winding units through the intermediary of a plurality of individual driven units which are adapted to drive each of said winding units independently from one another. The individual driven units are so arranged that they may be selectively disengaged from the main driving unit in response to an undesirable external condition. A control mechanism associated with the winding units reverses the direction of rotation of the same after they have been suitably braked by a braking mechanism in registry with the winding units. The control mechanism thereafter engages the previously disengaged driven unit with the main driving unit to permit continued operation of the machine.

It is accordingly an important object of the present invention to provide a novel mechanism permitting effective disengagement and braking of a winding unit independently of the remaining winding units in response to an undesirable external condition.

It is another important object of the present invention to provide means enabling a plurality of winding units to be driven from a main driving unit and independently or" one another.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means for rendering inoperative any of a group of winding units independent of one another.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide braking means for each winding unit to independently brake the same in response to an external condition.

Still another object of the invention is to provide control means for restoring a previously braked winding unit into its normal operating condition upon rectification of an undesirable external condition.

Further objects and the entire scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the de tailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific example, while indicating a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is given by Way of illustration only,

since various changes and modifications Within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the accompanying detailed description.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of an automatic winder which rotates a plurality of individual Winding units, taken along the line I-I of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the arrangement of the driving members actuating the self-threading grooved drum for the winding units;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section of the details of a separately driven friction disk and its associated main driving unit, as well as a reversing shaft for reverse rotation of the winding units;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view showing the details of a rotatable table which is indexed and supports the winding units;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line IIII in FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1 thereof, the device embodying the present invention basically consists of a cylindrical frame or housing A, a rotatable table or turret B provided with eight winding units C arranged in spaced relation on the turret B, and eight associated supporting arms D which carry the wind-01f bobbins or cops E and the necessary thread guides. The parts or members B, C, D and E are suitably indexed in a step by step manner through successive winding units C of the rotatable turret B mounted on the frame A. Exteriorly of the frame A there is provided a control unit F which houses the controlling drive for the complete operation or working cycle of the machine and, also for a stationary thread locating and knotting device which picks up the free end of a thread when broken via suitable suction means or the like not constituting part of the present invention.

The description accompanying FIGURE 1 has been primarily limited to the members necessary for attaining the forward and reverse drive of the individual winding bobbins. Accordingly, there is provided a cylindrical frame A constituted by a tubular member 1 which is supported at its base 1a by means of a suitable base plate 2., the opposite end 1b of said tubular member 1 carries a support ring 4 provided with a ball bearing race 3. Mounted for rotation on the ball bearings 3a disposed in said bearing race 3 is a rotatable table or turret B, the outer portion 5 thereof being connected to the inner portion 5b by means of a bridge connection 5a of substantially truncated conical form defining recess means 38b adapted to receive one end of a reversing shaft 38. The table B is further provided with a plurality of apertures So having a braking face or surface 50, the pur pose of which will be more fully described hereinafter. The rotatable turret B is adapted to be indexed through successive winding units by means of a conventional indexing element, as for example a star cam or wheel.

As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the rotatable table B is provided with an elevated superstructure formed by seven upwardly extending frame segments 6 supporting a cover plate 8 and a centrally arranged supporting plate 9. The seven frame segments 6 are each suitably recessed so as to support between their end walls 6a separate self winding grooved drums 7 for forming a thread package on the individual Winding bobbins, in the present embodiment having eight in number. On the upper or external face a of the centrally disposed supporting plate 9 there are arranged supports 10 to Which are articulated the linkage arms 11 carrying the mandrels 12a onto which are placed the bobbins 12 to be wound.

On the underside 9b of the supporting plate 9 there are provided the bearing brackets 13 for the individual driven units through which are passed the rotatable spindles 14 to which the separate swivelable or pivotable bearing housings 15 are secured. Each of the bearing housings 15 is adapted to receive a rotatable shaft 16, the upper end of which carries a rotatable pulley 17 which is rigidly fixed thereto, whereas the lower or opposite end of each rotatable shaft 16 is provided with a friction disk 18 having an extending hub portion 19 designed for braking the friction disk 18 as will be more fully described hereinafter. Each of the grooved self-winding or threading drums 7 carries a pulley 20 which is driven by its associated friction disk 18 by means of a V-belt or the like operatively linking the pulley 17 to the pulley 20. The various individual rotatable spindles 14 are located in substantially a common plane with the pulleys l7 and the axis of rotation of the pulley 20 and the grooved threading drum 7 provided for each winding bobbin 12, this being done for the purpose of preventing elongation of the V-belt 21 when the respective bearing housing 15- of each individual driven unit is shifted into its non-driven or disengaging position by virtue of being pivoted away from a main driving unit in the form of a main friction disk 26. A shaft 25 is supported concentrically and extends above the rotatable table or turret B, and is mounted at one end in suitable bearings 22 located at the center of said turret B, and at the other end in bearings 23 carried by an intermediate plate member 24 disposed below the turret B, as best seen in FIGURE 1.

A suitable prime mover for the main driving unit in the form of a motor 27 is carried by the intermediate plate member 24, and transmits power to the shaft 25 through the intermediary of the pulley elements 26b and interconnecting belt member 26a. The pulley elements 2611 may preferably be constructed so that different ratios of speed transmission can be obtained, or else, may be replaced with pulleys of different size to achieve a variable speed drive. At the opposite end of the shaft 25 and above the rotatable table B there is arranged for rotation the friction disk 26 of the main driving unit around which are spaced the individual friction disk 18 of the separate driven units which are engageable and disengageable with said friction disk 26.

At the lower end of the shaft 28 of the motor 27 there is provided a pulley 29 which is connected to a pulley 31 by means of a belt 30. The pulley 31 is rotatably arranged on one end of a shaft 32 supported in the leg 33 of a bifurcated bracket member 35 pivotally mounted on a shaft 34 arranged between the intermediate plate member 24 and the base plate 2, see FIGURES l and 5. At the opposite end of the shaft 32 there is located a friction disk 36 which is drivingly associated with a friction disk 37 arranged at the lower end of a reversing shaft 38 and supported at its lower end in a bearing 49 carried by the intermediate plate member 24. The upper end of said shaft 38 is rotatably supported by the ball bearings 48 of bearing 4a secured to the support ring 4 and carried by the end 1b of the tubular member 1. This upper end of the shaft 38 may preferably be designed to function as a friction disk 38a which extends into the respective recess 38!) provided for the rotatable table 13 by the bridge connections a, said friction disk 38a being disposed in the same plane as the friction surfaces of the main friction disk 26 and the individual friction disks 18 and being spaced from said axis of rotation of said main friction disk at a distance substantially equal to the radius of said main friction disk plus the diameter of each individual friction disk 1%.

Attached to a further leg 39 of the bifurcated bracket 35 is a pull rod 40 connected with one arm 41a of a double-arm lever 41, as indicated in FIGURES l and 5. The double-arm lever 41 carries a cam follower or roller 4-2 which is biased in the direction of a cam surface 4 provided on a cam 45 by means of a resilient spring 43 communicating at one end 4311 with the arm 41b of the double-arm lever 41, and at its other end 43b with a hinge 43c carried by the housing 43d of the control unit F. The cam surface 44 is so designed that power will be transmitted for a predetermined period of the working cycle of the machine from the shaft 28 of the motor 27 to the shaft 38 by means of the belt 30, pulley 31, shaft 32 and then to the friction disks 36 and 37.

The cam 45 is adapted to be coupled for rotation with a control shaft 58, the drive of which is not discussed in greater detail, and which is continuously driven so as to drive a star Wheel or other suitable indexing mechanism associated with the rotatable table B, thereby causing a step by step indexing of the table B through successive winding units. Additional cams may be arranged on the control shaft 58 for carrying out and controlling any of the various operations. Such cams are engaged in a known manner with the control shaft 58 by engagement of a pawl actuated by a thread feeler or sensing unit which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The arm 41b further supports a lever 61 having a downwardly extending leg 6141 which carries a roller es in registry with a tappet or detent 5% associated with the cam 45. A spring s2 operatively connected with said lever s1 normally maintains a push rod 63 carried by said lever til in its downward position, the tappet 59 during rotar tion of the cam 45 working against the action of the spring 62 by means of the roller 61 to thus force said push rod 63 in an upward direction for engagement with a control or thread sensing unit, the purpose of w rich will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.

Associated with each of the supporting arms D for the individual bobbins 12 is a pivotal angle lever 51 one leg 51b of which is adapted to be engaged by a pawl or hook 56 provided on a sensing element 56a which serves to indicate a thread breakage or exhaustion, the thread F running past a suitable thread fecler 49a for subsequent winding on the bobbin 12 by the grooved drum 7 to form a thread package. During normal operating conditions the pawl 5s will be in its engaged position so as to be in contact with the leg 51b of the angle lever 51, the other leg 51a thereof being actuated by the push rod 63 to return the leg 5117 into its normal contact position with the pawl 59 which will previously have released said leg 51!) should thread breakage or exhaustion occur. A further angle lever 53 mounted for rotation on each of the frame segments 6 is operatively connected to the leg 51a of the angle lever 51 through a linkage bar 52. The head 53a of each respective angle lever 53 normally bears against a piston rod 54 carried by each respective bearing bracket or housing 15 which is slidably mounted in a housing 55a and provided with a spring 55 for urging said piston rod against the head 53a of angle lever 53. An upright plate 57 provided for each bearing housing supports one end of a spring 56, the other end of which is secured to said bearing housing 15. Thus, upon downward pivoting of the angle lever 51 the head 53a of the angle lever 53 frees the piston rod 54 whereby the spring 56 urges the bearing housing 15 and the braking hub portion 19 of the respective individually driven friction disk unit 318 against the braking surface 5c provided on the outer wall of the aperture 5d formed in the rotatable table B.

The operation of the device is such that should thread breakage or exhaustion occur, as shown in the left-hand portion of FlGURE l, the thread Fa which travels past the thread feeler 49a and which was to be wound on the bobbin l2 frees the sensing element Stla which moves in such a manner as to cause the pawl 56 to release the arm 51b of the angle lever 51 which will thus rotate in a clock-wise direction, thereby freeing the piston rod 54 due to displacement of the head 53a of the lever 53 towards the left-hand position under the influence of the linkage bar 52. The resilient spring 5'5 carried by the housing 55a urges the piston rod 54 to the left and the resilient spring 56 now shifts the bearing housing 1% of the individual driven units and the respective braking hub portion 19 thereof into an angularly disposed position wherein the braking hub 19 now bears against the associated braking surface or face So provided at the wall of the respective aperture 5d formed in the rotating table B. The friction disk 18 of said individual driven units is thus at the same time rendered inoperative by being brought out of contact with the main driving unit in the form of main friction disk 26 so that the associated bobbin 12 is now effectively braked until this particular winding unit reaches the control mechanism F, shown in the righthand portion of FIGURE 1. The indexing of the rotatable table B through successive winding units being achieved by means of a suitable indexing mechanism, as for example, a star wheel secured to the control shaft 58 which rotates continuously. Thus, when an inoperative winding unit and its associated bobbin 12 reach the control mechanism F, the previously braked friction disk '18 engages the friction disk 38a of the bobbin reversing shaft 38 to shift the braking hub 19 away from the braking face 50 of aperture 50! to thereby cancel the braking ef feet. The friction disk 18 is then rotated in a reverse direction due to contact with the friction disk 38a of the reversing shaft 38, power being transmitted to this reversing shaft 33 due to coupling of the cam 4-5 to the control shaft 58 in a conventional manner. Consequently, the roller element 42 carried by the double-arm lever 41 is urged against the cam surface 44 by the spring 43 to displace the pull rod 40 towards the left to thus force the friction disk 36 into contact with the friction disk 37 to transmit power to said reversing shaft 38 via the motor 27. The cam surface 44 being so designed as to unwind a desired length of thread from the thread package previously wound on the bobbin 12 which thread may then be handled by a suitable knotting device or other desired operational step not constituting part of the present invention. Shortly prior to termination of the rotation of the cam 55, the tappet 59 associated therewith forces the roller 6% carried by the leg 61a of lever 65 to the left against the action of the spring 62 thereby raising the push rod 63 connected to the lever 61 and causing said push rod 63 to abut against the leg 51a of the angle lever 51 to rotate the latter until the leg 51b is brought into engagement with the pawl 5th of the sensing element 50a. As a result, the linkage rod 52 connected with the leg 51a of the angle lever 51 and the angle lever 53, causes the head 53a thereof to rest against the piston rod 54 thereby forcing the respective individual friction disks 18 carried by the bearing housing to once again come into contact with the friction disk 26 of the main driving units, whereupon the winding operation of this particular bobbin is resumed and the rotatable table is further continuously indexed through successive winding units. The cam surface 44 of cam 45 as well as the tap pct 59 and push rod 63 are now once again in their inoperative position as shown in the right-hand portion of FIGURE 1. in the event that the winding operation of a particular winding unit is not interrupted the latter will simply move past the control mechanism F and the entire device will continue its normal mode of operation.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a Winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, a group of separate winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit, individual driven means in registry with said group of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, means cooperating with said individual driven means to selectively render inoperative any of said winding units in response to an undesirable external condition such as thread breakage or exhaustion, said table being provided with braking means integral with said table and engageable with said individual driven means for independently braking each of said Winding units when its associated individual driven means is rendered inoperative, and control means including a friction drive operative with said cooperating means for actuating said individual driven means when in a braked condition to initially release the same from said braking means and thereafter reversing the direction of rotation of the previously braked winding unit.

2. In a winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, a group of separate winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit, individual driven means in registry with said group of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, means cooperating with said individual driven means to normally hold said individual driven means in driving relation with said main driving unit during a normal thread winding operation and adapted to selectively render inoperative any of said winding units in response to an undesirable external condition such as thread breakage or exhaustion, said table including braking means engagea-ble with said individual driven means for independently braking each of said winding units when its associated individual driven means is rendered inoperative, and control means including bobbin reversing means for said winding units and main drive reengaging means, said bobbin reversing means including friction disk means adapted to communicate with an individual driven unit only when in a braked condition to initially release the same from said engageable braking means, said bobbin reversing means then reversing the direction of rotation of said previously braked winding unit to unwind a predetermined amount of thread from the latter, said control means including said main drive reengaging means then actuating said cooperating means to urge said individual driven unit of said previously braked winding unit back into said driving relation with said main driving unit for rotating said previously braked winding unit in the direction of normal thread winding.

3. In a Winding machine according to claim 2, wherein said control means includes a control shaft adapted to be continuously driven and a cam engageable with said control shaft.

4. In a winding machine according to claim 2, wherein said bobbin reversing means of said control means includes a reversing shaft provided at one end with said friction disk means engageable in one position with an individual driven means when in a braked condition.

5. In a winding machine according to claim 4, said bobbin reversing means further including a friction disk provided at the other end of said reversing shaft, a swivelable bracket member adjacent said other end of said reversing shaft, a friction disk carried by said bracket memher, a pull rod in registry with said bracket member for swivelling the latter including its carried friction disk into and out of engagement with said reversing shaft for transmission of power thereto.

6. In a winding machine according to claim 4, wherein said individual driven means each includes a friction disk, said respective friction disk of each individual driven means and said friction disk provided at said one end of said reversing shaft being disposed substantially in a common plane.

7. In a winding machine according to claim 4 wherein said rotatable table is provided with recess means for receiving said one end of said reversing shaft and its associated friction disk.

8. In a winding machine according to claim 7, wherein said main driving unit includes a main friction disk, said individual driven means each including a friction disk, said m ain friction disk, said friction disk of each individual driven means and said associated friction disk of said reversing shaft lying in substantially a common plane, said friction disk of said reversing shaft being spaced from the axis of rotation of said main friction disk a distance substantially equal to the radius of said main friction disk 7 plus the diameter of said friction disk of said individual driven means.

9. In a winding machine according to claim 2, said main drive reengaging means including a control shaft adapted to be continuously driven, a cam driven and engageable with said control shaft, a push rod actuated by said cam and in registry with said individual driven means for urging the same into engagement with said main driving unit.

10. In a Winding machine according to claim 9, said cooperating means including a plurality of separate sensing elements provided with a pawl, displaceable piston rod means carried by said individual driven means, pivotal angle lever means communicating in one position with said piston rod means and said pawl of said sensing element, said push rod of said main drive engaging means effectuating engagement of said angle lever means with said pawl and said piston rod means upon rectification of said undesirable external condition.

11. In a winding machine according to claim 2, wherein said separate winding units are each provided with a rtatable bobbin and a self threadiug grooved drum, said individual driven means including separate pulley members in registry with and drivingly connected to said grooved drum, said separate pulley members and the axis of rotation of said grooved drum lying substantially in a common plane.

12. In a winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, a series of separate winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit, individual driven means mounted for pivotal movement in registry with said series of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, said table being provided with a series of spaced apertures defined by wall portions and corresponding in number at least to said individual driven means, said individual driven means each including a braking hub extending into an associated aperture adapted to contact the wall portion thereof defining a braking surface, means cooperating with said individual driven means adapted to render inoperative any of said winding units in response to an external condition such as thread breakage or exhaustion by pivoting of said individual driven means such that said respective braking hub of said individual driven means contacts its associated braking surface for selectively braking any of said winding units when its associated individual driven means is rendered inoperative.

13. In a winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, a series of separate winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit, individual driven means mounted for pivotal movement in registry with said series of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, said individual driven means including braking means adapted to engage a respective braking surface provided for said table for arresting the rotation of an associated Winding unit, means cooperating with said individual driven means adapted to render inoperative any of said winding units in response to an undesirable external condition such as thread breakage or exhaustion, said table being provided with respective apertures confined by wall portions defining a braking surface engageable with said braking means of said individual driven means for braking each of said winding units when its associated individual driven means is rendered inoperative by pivoting of the same out of engagement with said main driving unit via said cooperating means, and control means operable with said cooperating means operatively associated with said individual driven means for urging the latter into engagement with said main driving unit for resuming power transmission to said winding units upon rectification of said undesirable external condition so as to again render operative said winding units.

14. In a winding machine according to claim 13, said individual driven means including a separate pivotable bearing housing for each of said winding units and a friction disk including a braking hub defining said braking means rotatably supported by each separate bearing housing, said cooperating means being adapted for effecting selective pivoting of any of said bearing housings in response to said undesirable external condition to bring said friction disk out of engagement with said main driving unit and said braking hub into contact with said wall portions of said apertures of said table.

15. In a winding machine according to claim 14, wherein said main driving unit includes a centrally arranged main friction disk normally engaging each friction disk of said individual driven means to transmit power to said series of separate winding units.

16. In a winding machine according to claim 14, said cooperating means including spring biased piston rod means for each bearing housing to maintain the latter in a non-braking position, resilient means in registry with each bearing housing, thread sensing means cooperable with said piston rod means for freeing the latter, whereby said resilient means urges its associated braking hub into engagement with said braking surface provided for said table.

17. In a winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, 21 group of separate winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit, individual driven means mounted for pivotal movement in registry with said group of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, each of said individual driven means being provided with a braking hub, means cooperating with said individual driven means adapted to pivot the same out of driving relation with said main driving unit to selectively render inoperative any of said winding units in response to an undesirable external condition such as thread breakage or exhaustion, said table being provided with braking means integral with said table and engageable with said braking hub of said individual driven means for independently braking each of said winding units when its associated individual driven means is rendered inoperative.

18. In a winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, a group of separate winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit, indivdual driven means mounted for pivotal movement in registry with said group of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, each of said individual driven means being provided with a braking hub, means cooperating with said individual driven means to selectively render inoperative any of said winding units in response to an undesirable external condition such as thread breakage or exhaustion, said table being provided with braking means integral with said table and engageable with said braking hub of said individual driven means for independently braking each of said winding units when its associated individual driven means is rendered inoperative, and control means including a friction drive operative with said cooperating means for actuating said individual driven means when in a braked condition to initially release the same from said braking means and thereafter reversing the direction of rotation of the previously braked winding unit.

19. In a winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, a group of separate winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit, individual driven means in registry with said group of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, means cooperating with said individual driven means including holding means for normally urging said individual driven means into driving relation with said main driving unit during a normal thread Winding operation and adapted to selectively render inoperative any of said winding units in response to an undesirable external condition such as thread breakage or exhaustion, said table including braking means engageable with said individual driven means for independently braking each of said winding units when its associated individual driven means is rendered inoperative, and control means including bobbin reversing means for said Winding units and main drive reengaging means, said bobbin reversing means being adapted to communicate with an individual driven unit only when in a braked condition to initially release the same from said engageable braking means, said bobbin reversing means then reversing the direction of rotation of said previously braked winding unit to unwind a predetermined amount of thread from the latter, said control means including said main drive reengaging means then actuating said holding means of said cooperating means to again urge said individual driven unit of said previously braked winding unit back into said driving relation with said main driving unit for rotating said previously braked Winding unit in the direction of normal thread winding.

20. In a winding machine, the combination of a table adapted to be rotated, a group of separate Winding units supported for rotation on said table, a main driving unit,

pivotably mounted individual driven means in registry with said group of separate winding units and said main driving unit for transmitting power to each of said separate winding units independently of one another, each of said individual driven means being provided with a braking hub, said table being provided with a series of spaced apertures defined by wall portions and corresponding in number at least to said individual driven means, said braking hub of each of said individual driven means extending into an associated aperture and adapted to contact the wall portion thereof defining a braking surface, and means for pivoting said individual driven means out of driving relation with said main driving unit and said braking hub thereof into contact with said braking surface of said wall portion of an associated aperture for braking an associated winding unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,962,757 Baker June12,1934

2,338,914 Esser et a1 Jan. 11, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 25 1,180,505 France Dec. 29, 1958 

